1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image capture apparatus such as a digital camera.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, the number of digital camera systems have been increasing in which when a photographer depresses a release button for photographing a still image, a pseudo shutter curtain is displayed, and a mechanical shutter sound is output to the photographer as in a silver film camera, so that the photographer can realize the photographing of the still image (see, e.g., Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-184240).
Moreover, in recent years, the number of digital camera systems have been increasing which is provided with not only a function of photographing the still image but also varieties of functions such as a continuous photographing function capable of continuously photographing the still image and an auto exposure bracket (AEB) function of automatically deflecting exposure in a “+” or “−” direction to perform the photographing.
Furthermore, there are: a system in which a pseudo shutter curtain effect during single photographing is utilized as such during continuous photographing; and a system in which a pseudo shutter curtain is synthesized in only first photographing during the continuous photographing, and the pseudo shutter curtain is not displayed in second and subsequent photographing.
As to effects produced by the above-described pseudo shutter curtain, the curtain is very effective because the photographer can recognize the moment at which the still image has been photographed during single photographing. However, when the still image is continuously photographed, the pseudo shutter curtain opens and closes every time the photographing is performed. Therefore, an object displayed in a liquid crystal monitor is obstructed. Moreover, in a case where the photographer chases and photographs a moving object during the continuous photographing, there is a problem that the pseudo shutter curtain hinders the object from being easily recognized.
Especially in these years, the continuous photographing has been speeded up, and the number of still images which can be photographed in one second has been increasing. Therefore, when the number of the still images that can be photographed in one second increases, the object displayed in the liquid crystal monitor is covered with the pseudo shutter curtain more. Therefore, in a case where the continuous photographing is performed at a high seed, a time for which an operator cannot recognize the object increases. In consequence, visibility of the object is remarkably impaired in the high-speed continuous still-image photographing.
To avoid the above-described disadvantage, there is a system in which the pseudo shutter curtain is displayed in the liquid crystal monitor in the only first photographing during the continuous photographing. In this system, the photographer cannot easily recognize a time when the continuous photographing has been completed, and this might generate a disadvantage that “the last important scene could not be photographed during the continuous photographing”.